Published: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 10:34 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 10:34 p.m.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office is seeking help in identifying three people in regard to a fraudulent check-cashing scheme.

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Blank checks were stolen from a local business during a breaking and entering and larceny just outside of Columbus, the Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

"The suspects went into All Bright Sanitation sometime during the past week and took about 50 blank checks and printed them and began going to banks in Columbus, Hendersonville and Asheville," the release says.

The fraudulent checks were passed to bank tellers along with what appears to be a government-issued fraudulent ID card in an effort to obtain money, accordin to the release.

The unidentified suspects received more than $20,000 in cash before a bank teller became suspicious and alerted supervisors, who placed a hold on the account and notified the customer and law enforcement.

The Sheriff's Office encourages banks and retailers to be aware and observant of suspicious transactions through the use of credit cards and checks. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 828-894-3001.

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